Social Media

15 People Made Famous by the Internet in 2012

The Internet has been creating celebrity for years — from Justin Bieber to the "I Like Turtles" kid. But more people than ever flocked to online communities in 2012, and the opportunity for fame increased exponentially.

Some of this year's discovery was pushed by the media, but much of it originated on the web. Platforms like Reddit played an important role in filtering unique moments that would have otherwise gone unnoticed — the social web pulled Ridiculously Photogenic Guy from a South Carolina 10K race.

But not everything is pure entertainment. The year 2012 familiarized us with a rich viral philanthropy movement. After a bus monitor on a $15,000 yearly salary was bullied by middle schoolers, the Internet rapidly came to her defense, donating more than half a million dollars toward her dream vacation.

Being discovered online is not always necessarily in one's favor. This year, millions of people learned about worldwide campaigns, like the one against LRA leader Joseph Kony. More subtle figures like Reddit moderator Violentacrez unexpectedly went from anonymous identity to the subject of a global debate.

In no particular order, here are 15 people who famously caught the Internet's attention in 2012. Who do you think comes in on top? Let us know in the comments below.

Psy

Perhaps you've heard of a song called "Gangnam Style," arguably the Internet anthem of 2012.

Korean pop singer Park Jae Sung (a.k.a. Psy) released the dance single in July. Its catchy tune and comical horse-dance moves gained the attention of more than 8 million YouTube views within two weeks. Today, the original video boasts over 700 million views and broke the Guinness World Record for most likes on YouTube.

The song has since been featured in just about every parody you could think of. Psy has taught his moves to celebrities like Britney Spears and the Today Showanchors.

Carly Rae Jepsen

Though "Call Me Maybe" released in 2011, it went unnoticed in Carly Rae Jepsen's Canadian homeland. However, after social powerhouse Justin Bieber tweeted about the song and appeared in a viral lip-dub video, it became an instant hit.

This skyrocketed Jepsen into Internet stardom in 2012. Dozens of media outlets wrote about her and the song, which held the number-one spot on Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks. Fans have created hundreds of "Call Me Maybe" parodies and mashups for YouTube — including Harvard athletes, Sesame Streetcharacters and Olympic swimmers.

Zeddie Little (Ridiculously Photogenic Guy)

Once upon a time, a photographer captured runners in a South Carolina 10K race, then uploaded the images to Flickr. A few days later, Reddit shared impeccable-looking Zeddie Little.

It took four hours for Little to discover the Internet had pegged him as the meme "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy." He took the news well and immediately hosted an AMA for people to get to know him.

Michael Brutsch (Violentacrez)

Formerly known as Violentacrez, one of Reddit's most infamous users, Michael Brutsch was pegged the Internet's biggest troll after Gawker outed him as responsible for disseminating offensive and, at times, questionably legal content.

A father and respected member of his Texas community, Brutsch was cordial with Reddit administrators and other influential moderators, whom he often advised about NSFW content. However, he lost his job due to the controversial nature of the Gawker profile.

Brutsch, his behavior and the public outing became the subjects of an enormous debate over Internet privacy and freedom of speech.

Felix Baumgartner

Skydiver Felix Baumgartner broke records and dropped jaws when he jumped from the middle of the earth’s stratosphere — 24 miles above the planet.

Not only did Baumgartner break physical records, the livestream shattered the YouTube record and became the most-watched streaming event in history.

McKayla Maroney

U.S. gymnast McKayla Maroney might have taken home the silver at the 2012 Olympics, but she most certainly won gold on the Internet.

During her second vault, Maroney unexpectedly landed on her backside after performing a nearly flawless first execution. Her apparent scowling expression during the award ceremony birthed the insanely viral "McKayla Is Not Impressed" meme.

Michelle Jenneke

Australian runner Michelle Jenneke charmed Internet users with her exuberant warm-up routine during the World Junior Championships in July. Cameras caught her bouncy dance before Jenneke ran the 100m hurdles.

The video was uploaded to YouTube and earned more than 11 million views within one week. Jenneke was featured across numerous platforms after Uproxx's sports blog With Leather published with a slow motion edition set to Salerno’s “Boys.”

Jamie Lynne Grumet

Time unveiled a very controversial cover in May. It featured Jamie Lynne Grumet breastfeeding her four-year-old son, raising the question "Are you mom enough?" People quickly questioned Grumet about her parenting decisions and explored the modern relationship between mother and baby.

Before the issue even hit the stands, Grumet's photo was trending across all major online platforms, and the overall topic caught fire. Users widely criticized and applauded its controversial nature.

Grumet was also turned into a meme. Internet users photoshopped her and her son into famous portraits, and Twitter had a field day with the commentary.

Lydia Callis

During New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Hurricane Sandy press conferences, many viewers instead focused on his sign language interpreter, Lydia Callis, who shared the screen.

Callis's dramatic facial expressions were an instant hit across the web, which had mostly positive reception. The interest in Callis led to a GIF-filled Tumblr and Twitter commentary. She became such a popular topic online that even SNL created its own sketch parody.

Gotye

Gotye's viral hit "Somebody That I Used to Know" was released in 2011; however, it wasn't until 2012 that the song received massive online attention.

A five-hands guitar cover by the band Walk off the Earth swerved attention to the original version in January. By the end of the month, Gotye's song had reached the front page of Reddit, spreading across the web from there. The song was on its way to the top spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, picking up plenty of YouTube parodies along the way.

Krispy Kreme

American rapper Krispy Kreme became known for his southern, "tough guy" lyrics in May, after uploading a music video called "The Baddest" to YouTube. It was picked up on Reddit and quickly upvoted for its comedic value. By the time it reached the front page, the song was getting traffic from across the web.

Instead of becoming a one-hit wonder, Krispy Kreme released more songs, similar to the much discussed original. People aimed commentary (both positive and negative) at his sidekick and best friend in the video, "Money Maker" Mike. He has been included in nearly all of the following videos.

Krispy Kreme was featured on Daniel Tosh's Tosh.0 as part of the "Web Redemption" segment. He didn't bring Mike along, but after viewers expressed their concern, he produced an explanation video. Today, he has nearly 200,000 subscribers and 4 million views on YouTube.

Bobak Ferdowsi (NASA Mohawk Guy)

While NASA’s team landed its Mars Curiosity rover in June, the legendary Mohawk Guy — spotted throughout NASA TV’s livestream — rapidly became an Internet sensation.

Formally known as Bobak Ferdowsi, the NASA flight director quickly receieved the meme treatment — he even got a shoutout from the POTUS.

Laina Walker (Overly Attached Girlfriend)

Laina Walker creeped into our web browsers in June, when she posted a funny video in response to Justin Bieber's contest.

The video was sent to Reddit and other social sharing sites, where she was dubbed the face of "Overly Attached Girlfriend," an advice animal image macro featuring a stereotypical clingy girlfriend.

Walker played along in good fun, even submitting several other videos in-character, and even landed a spot in a Samsung ad. In September, Reddit helped Walker clean up her image, renaming her "Misunderstood Girlfriend."

Joseph Kony

Invisible Children released a film in March that aimed to make Joseph Kony — the leader of Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) — infamous for his crimes against humanity, particularly for kidnapping and abducting children to turn them into child soldiers and sex slaves.

More than 100 million people have since viewed the documentary — it was, at one point, the most viral video in history. KONY 2012 — and its subject — have sparked conversation and criticism among millions about Kony, the issues in Uganda, Invisible Children and the concept of slacktivism.

Karen Klein (Bullied Bus Monitor)

New York resident and bus monitor Karen Klein received more than $700,000 from the Internet after being bullied in June by middle schoolers.

The story shared from Reddit to other online communities, eventually reaching mainstream media. After the story went viral, Klein was flooded with sympathies and donations from online strangers. She used a portion of the money to launch an anti-bullying foundation.

BONUS: Jimmy Kruyne

While CNN prepared viewers for Hurricane Sandy, one hero brought light to a dark moment by videobombing a live report dressed in nothing but a swimsuit and a horse mask.

Before Kruyne could even get inside and dry off, the Internet had caught wind of his antics. What was intended as a joke among his close friends earned Kruyne anonymous fame across web communities and media outlets.

Though his Internet fame is not personally associated, Kruyne revealed himself as the horse-masked perpetrator. Internet users gave him a standing ovation.

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